The first Session of the 18th Lok Sabha starting Monday is all set to begin on a stormy note given the reduced strength of the ruling BJP in the Lower House and an emboldened Congress with double the number of MPs it had in the previous two Houses. Above all, the Parliament Session comes in the backdrop of a series of exams paper leaks providing enough ammo to an equally strengthened combined Opposition determined to corner Narendra Modi 3.0 Government.
The Opposition is also set to take up the issue of railway safety with a major accident in West Bengal with casualties a week ago. The Congress and other Opposition members have been demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rail Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw.
As scheduled, the Lok Sabha will see oath-taking by the newly-elected members followed by election of the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu's address to joint sitting of both the Houses on June 27.
The row over appointment of BJP leader and seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab as the Pro-tem Speaker is likely to cast shadow over the session. The move has drawn flak from the opposition, which alleged that the claim of Congress member K Suresh to the post was overlooked by the Government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post, while Suresh lost elections in 1998 and 2004 which makes his current term as the fourth straight one in the lower house.
Earlier, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991, 1996 and 1999.
On Monday, Murmu will administer the oath to Mahtab as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Mahtab will then reach Parliament House and call the Lok Sabha to order at 11 am.
The proceedings will begin with members observing a moment of silence on the occasion of the first sitting of the 18th Lok Sabha. This will be followed by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh placing on the table of the House the list of the members elected to the Lower House.
Mahtab will then call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the Lok Sabha, to take oath as member of the House.
The Pro-tem Speaker will then administer oath to the panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist him in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker on June 26.
The President has appointed Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) to assist Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha.
After the panel of chairpersons, the Pro-tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation as Lok Sabha members to the Council of Ministers. The members from States, in alphabetical order, will take oath or make affirmation over the next two days.
The election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place on Wednesday and the Prime Minister will introduce his Council of Ministers to the House soon after.
The President is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on June 27. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address will begin on June 28. The Prime Minister is expected to respond to the debate on July 2 or 3.
Both the Houses are expected to go into a brief recess and re-assemble on July 22 for the presentation of the Union Budget.
